MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough put the question to Chuck Schumer this week. He was asking because Majority Leader Harry Reid had called the Koch brothers “un-American” on the Senate floor. Scarborough wanted to know if Schumer agreed.

Scarborough further noted the Kochs’ many acts of philanthropy for New York’s medical and cultural institutions. Schumer danced around the question, praising David Koch for his charitable giving while damning the political ads he funds that attack ObamaCare and call for smaller government.

But Scarborough didn’t let him off the hook. “Can’t we have an agreement how best to fund private charities without calling somebody un-American?” he asked.

Schumer might have taken the high road, suggesting that maybe Reid went too far by calling the Kochs un-American. Instead he went for a distinction without a difference. Here’s the relevant back and forth after Scarborough asked Schumer directly what he thought: Is David Koch really un-American, or should Harry Reid apologize?

Schumer: “I think what Harry Reid was saying was the actions are un-American, and they are, and they should change.”

Scarborough: “What about David himself?”

Schumer: “In running those ads, absolutely.”

How ironic. “Un-American” is an epithet liberals have deemed beyond the pale since the days of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. But apparently it’s OK for two powerful US senators to use it against someone who disagrees with their policies.

Memo to President Obama: How about sending these fellow Democratic leaders copies of your speeches stressing the need for civility in our political debate?